This auspicious, wish-granting stupa is a tamer of maras, meaningful to behold. May it be virtuous!

KHENPO Ngawang Palzang of Kathok Monastery was one of the greatest writers, teachers, and transmitters of Longchen Nyingthig in this century. He was known as a tülku of Vimalamitra, and there is no exaggeration in calling him the second Longchen Rabjam.

 

He was popularly known as Khenpo Ngachung (the Junior Ngak), and in many writings he signed himself as Ösal Rinchen Nyingpo Pema Ledreltsal or Pema Ledreltsal.

 

I offer here a short summary of Khenpo’s autobiography, Ngotsar Gyume Rölgar (An Amazing Magical Play). If you are interested in reading a biography of a lama of scholarly and spiritual attainments, this should be your choice. It presents a magnificent life in a most beautiful classical style of writing that is rarely seen.

 

Khenpo was born on the tenth day of the tenth month of the Earth Hare year of the fifteenth Rabjung (1879) amid wondrous signs of rainbow rays and sounds of music from the sky. His father was Namgyal of the Nyoshül tribal group, and his mother was Pematso of the Juwa tribal group.

 

His days and nights were filled with amazing lights, experiences, visions, sounds, and communications with divinities. On the third day of his life, sitting in the meditative posture, he recited the Vajrakīla mantra. During the first winter, in freezing weather, the baby was sleeping with his mother. But his mother couldn’t sleep with him, as he was generating so much heat through his spiritual energy. The mother said, “What are you, a child of demons?” The child sang:

 

I came from the direction of Latrang in the east,

I have self-control over energy and heat.

I have accomplished the attainment of Guhyasamaja.

If you recognize me, I am Alak Rigdra.

 

At this his mother said, “Who knows? Keep quiet.” His parents and relatives worried about their unusual child and tried to keep his display of miracles secret from others.

 

When he was two, his father took him to Nyoshül Lungtok at Gyaduk Hermitage. Lungtok expressed great joy in seeing him and gave blessings and also gifts.

 

When he was five, his family was facing great hardship from a flood, and one day he fashioned a twig into the form of a phurbu, a sacred dagger, and said,

 

I, as Vimalamitra in India,

Reversed the Ganges River.

There is no problem for a creek in a gorge.

Mother, look at the great wonder!

 

Then, pointing the phurbu at the river, he recited the Vajrakīla mantra, and the river changed its course as if it had been propelled by a storm.

 

At seven, his uncle taught him to read prayer texts. When his uncle taught him one syllable, he would say the next one instead of repeating after him. His uncle became upset and said, “Why are you jumping ahead? You are not recognizing the syllables.” Then he studied slowly and took about twenty days to learn the first page of the prayer, and that satisfied his uncle. Then one evening, half asleep, he read the whole Zangpo Chöpa, and his uncle realized that he was dealing with an unusual person. His uncle brought him a number of new texts, and Khenpo read them all with no difficulty. His uncle stopped giving him any reading lessons.

 

From the age of eight, he started to receive teachings and empowerments from many lamas. At the age of fifteen, he was ordained as a novice by Khenchen Gyaltsen Özer, and Nyoshül Lungtok advised him on the importance of observing the vows.

 

With Nyoshül Lungtok he moved to the hermitage called Pema Ritho. There he received detailed instructions on ngöndro practice from Lungtok and completed the ngöndro accumulations. During the maṇḍala practice of ngöndro, he saw Longchen Rabjam in a dream. Longchenpa, putting a crystal on Khenpo’s head, said:

 

Ah! The nature of the mind is the enlightened mind. Ah!

Ah! The great emptiness is the sphere of Samantabhadra. Ah!

Ah! The openness intrinsic awareness is the Dharmakāya. Ah!

Ah! From the five glows arises everything. Ah!

Ah! The nature of intrinsic awareness transcends view and meditation. Ah!

Ah! Today may they be established in your heart. Ah!

 

Because of the force of devotion, Khenpo fainted for a while. From the statue of Longchen Rabjam on his altar came ringsels. Nyoshül Lungtok told others that Khenpo could be the tülku of Vimalamitra of this century, as Vimalamitra had promised to send a major incarnation to Tibet in every century to spread the Nyingthig teachings.

 

Before the guru yoga of ngöndro practice, he received the empowerment of the two-volume Longchen Nyingthig cycle from Lama Atop, one of the principal disciples of Nyoshül Lungtok. Like his teacher Paltrül Rinpoche, Nyoshül Lungtok gave only a few empowerments in his whole life. Lungtok gave Khenpo the instructions on Longchen Nyingthig in general and guru yoga in particular.

 

Khenpo recited the siddhi mantra thirty million times and made one hundred thousand prostrations together with acts of homage. Since Khenpo started to receive teachings from Nyoshül Lungtok, he never for a second had a thought of his teacher being an ordinary being, but always saw him as a fully enlightened Buddha. He also could not remember ever speaking improperly to any of his Dharma brothers and sisters.

 

During the ngöndro trainings, he kept experiencing that his mind had merged into a thoughtless state and that then all the objective appearances had dissolved. His teacher minimized its importance, saying, “It is the universal ground,” a neutral state, but not the enlightened nature.

 

After guru yoga practice, Lungtok gave detailed teachings on tantra including the three roots and many other texts. Khenpo did a forty-nine-day strict recitation retreat on Rigdzin Düpa. He achieved great clarity in the development stage, reciting the siddhi mantra ten million times and the Rigdzin Chitril mantra one hundred million times. Then he did a month retreat on Yumka Dechen Gyalmo and practiced day and night. He was able to hear the sound power of the mantra without any efforts. He had an extraordinary realization that the visions of divinities or ordinary appearances are mere apparitions and designations created by the mind.

 

At the age of twenty, as strongly advised by Lungtok, Khenpo took the vow of full ordination as a monk from Atop. Thereafter he observed every one of the 253 vows of a monk and kept no extra materials for himself. When he had to keep any extra materials for the service of the Dharma or for others, he kept them only after reciting tütren (Dus Dran), a formula for reminding oneself of the “mindfulness of the purpose,” written by Panchen Lobzang Chögyen.

 

His teacher gave him detailed teachings on life and longevity. Then Khenpo did a hundred-day retreat on the long-life practice of Longchen Nyingthig. After many days of doing the recitation, he saw lights being emitted from the long-life pills on the altar, and then they melted into lights. By emphasizing his training on energy (air), he experienced the accomplishments of entering, dwelling, and perfection of his energies in the center channel. Through heat yoga, he experienced great bliss and heat in his body and the union of bliss and emptiness in his mind. The touch of either cold or heat in the external temperature caused him to generate heat and bliss. Through the training on subtle essence, before long his mind and mental events had ceased. He remained in a thick, sleeplike thoughtless state, but first it was with openness and then that mind, too, merged into the state of union of emptiness and clarity. He was able to remain in such a state for the whole period of a meditative session.

 

When Khenpo was twenty-one, Nyoshül Lungtok gave him a few lines of the innermost teachings of Nyingthig every day. After every teaching, Khenpo meditated on the meanings of the instructions for many days, and this was followed by discussions and clarifications.

 

Lungtok explained that he had received the Nyingthig transmission from the fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche that came from Jigme Lingpa through the lineage of Dodrupchen. He also received the transmission from both Paltrül Rinpoche and Khyentse Wangpo that came from Jigme Lingpa through the lineage of Gyalwe Nyuku.

 

During these trainings, he developed an unquestionable confidence that what he had experienced during his ngöndro trainings, namely that his experience of a thoughtless state, after which all the objective appearances had dissolved, was not a mere absence of thoughts but the naked union of intrinsic awareness and emptiness.

 

He presented his conviction to his teacher. The teacher laughed and said, “During the preliminary mind trainings [Blo sByong] of ngöndro practice, you were talking of a contemplation [of a thoughtless state] and the dissolving of the objective appearances. That is what it is. There are two kinds of thoughts, subjective thoughts and objective thoughts. In contemplations of the realized ones, first their subjective grasper dissolves. At that time, as the objective thought is not yet dissolved, there will be thoughts of appearances. Then what they objectively grasped will dissolve, and then even the mere appearances will not be there before the contemplative mind.”

 

Khenpo, being a most gifted person, had the experience of the true nature in his early meditation trainings. However, his teacher would not tell him that this was the important realization. If he did so too early, there could arise a subtle conceptual grasping in the mind of Khenpo, an attachment to the so-called “important realization,” and instead of Khenpo’s being encouraged by having his realization confirmed, he could be distracted from the journey. That is the very reason why Paltrül Rinpoche says: “Do not rush to call it Dharmakāya!”

 

Then Nyoshül Lungtok gave one of his most rare empowerments, a Yeshe La-me Tsalwang, the empowerment of the power of the intrinsic awareness (or the introduction to the nature of the mind) as given in Yeshe Lama. It was followed by teachings on innermost instruction of Dzogpa Chenpo, including Chöying Rinpoche Dzö.

 

Then his teacher told Khenpo that now he should go to Dzogchen Monastery to study scholarly texts. He had heard that Mipham Namgyal was also coming to the monastery to teach. Khenpo didn’t want to leave but had to follow his teacher’s words. With a gift of thirteen brown sugar cakes and a long scarf, the teacher bade farewell to his disciple by saying prayers and then adding, “I am inspiring you, empowering you, and recognizing you as the holder of the thirteenth stage, the state of Vajradhara.” With a heavy heart, Khenpo prayed and left his teacher for the last time.

 

In the fall of his twenty-second year, Khenpo arrived at Dzogchen Monastery. With Minyak Lama Rigdzin Dorje and others, he studied Madhyamakālaṃkāra by Shantarakshita, Tsema Rikter by Sakya Pandita, Don Namnge, Kagye Namshe, and Ösal Nyingpo on Guhyagarbha by Mipham.

 

With Khenpo Losal he studied Domtik Paksam Nye by Dharmashrī, Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra, Madhayānta-vibhaṅga, and Dharmadharmatā-vibhaṅga with Rongtön’s commentaries, Uttaratantra with Dölpo’s commentary, Guhyagarbha with the commentaries by Longchen Rabjam, Rongzom, and Yungtön, Thekchen Tsüljuk and Nangwa Lhadrup by Rongzom, Yönten Dzö with the commentaries by Dodrupchen and Tentar Lharampa, and Semnyi Ngalso and Gyuma Ngalso.

 

With Khenpo Sönam Chöphel he studied Abhisamayālaṃkāra with the commentaries by Je Tsongkhapa and Paltrül, Bodhicharyāvatāra with the commentaries by Ngülchu Thogme and Künzang Sönam, and Norbu Ketaka by Mipham, Prajñānāmamūla-madhyamaka, Chatuḥshataka-shāstra, Dültik Rinchen Trengwa, Dülwa Tsotik, Longchen Nyingthig Tsalung, Sangdak Gonggyen, and others.

 

From Mura Tülku Pema Dechen he received many empowerments and teachings on Yeshe Lama and other scriptures. From Khenpo Konchok Norbu he received unique instructions of Paltrül on Bodhicharyāvatāra.

 

With Apal he studied Abhidharmakosha with auto-commentary and commentaries by Gyalpö Se, Chimchen, and Chimchung. Khenpo had a hard time comprehending Apal’s elaborate style of teaching. He went to the rock in Shrīsiṃha, where Paltrül once taught Abhidharmakosha and made aspirations that he might understand what Vasubandhu envisioned in his text. He fell asleep and in a dream was blessed by Vasubandhu, and Khenpo remembered his having been Sthiramati, the principal student of Vasubandhu. After that he was able to understand the teachings.

 

Then Mipham Namgyal arrived and stayed at Nakchung hermitage of Dzogchen Monastery to compose his Khepala Jukpa. One day Khenpo went to see him, and that very day Mipham had completed Khepala Jukpa. Mipham entrusted the text to Khenpo and inspired him to teach it. Also, Khenpo received the empowerment of Jampal Gyüluk.

 

He also received the empowerments of Könchok Chidü from the fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche and Gongpa Düpa and Khandro Nyingthig from Drukpa Kuchen of Dzogchen Monastery.

 

In the fall of his twenty-fourth year (1902), he returned to his teacher’s hermitage and was shocked to learn that he had died on the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month of the previous year. He made a three-month recitation retreat on Vajrakīla Düpung Zilnön of Longchen Nyingthig. He also performed feast offerings and gave teachings to people. Then he went to Kading hermitage and did retreats on The Peaceful and Wrathful Māyājāla Sādhana and Jampal Gyüluk and gave teachings. He meditated on Thögal and saw the lights and images of the Buddhas filling the atmosphere, and then the power of intrinsic awareness in the form of the vajra chain, the subtlemost wisdom, dissolving into the inner ultimate sphere. By doing so he reached the ultimate nature of the primordial wisdom, the naked union of intrinsic awareness and emptiness. All the shells of experiences had vanished. All the subjective and objective grasping had been shattered. For an entire half day he remained in luminous clarity free from thoughts. As a sign of his realizing that the appearances are not real as they are supposed to be, his bell fell onto a stone, and instead of the bell breaking as it normally would, there was a mark of the bell on the stone and also a mark of the stone on the bell.

 

While meditating on Khandro Yangtig, in a vision he went to the unexcelled pure land in the form of Lhacham Pemasal and received the empowerments from the chief of ḍākinīs and was given the name Ösal Rinchen Nyingpo Pema Ledreltsal. Also, as Longchen Rabjam, he received transmissions from Rigdzin Kumārādza.

 

When he was twenty-nine, his mother died amid signs of light and earthquakes. From Terchen Ngawang Tendzin he received the textual transmissions of Nyingma Gyübum.

 

Then once again he went to Dzogchen Monastery. With Khenpo Lhagyal of Dzogchen he studied Pramāṇavārttika, and with Khenpo Zhen-ga he studied the commentaries of Madhyamakāvatāra and many other scriptures.

 

Then Dzogchen Rinpoche wanted to make him a khenpo, an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, but he refused, as he had been instructed by Lungtok to teach not at Dzogchen Monastery but at Kathok Monastery.

 

He returned to Jönpa Lung, the seat of his teacher, and started to give more teachings. During the empowerment of Yumka Dechen Gyalmo, the nectar boiled on the cool altar, and seed letters written on the mirror with colors appeared in relief (’Bur Dod). During the Dzödun text transmission, an unknown woman with rich ornaments attended for a while and then vanished. While Khenpo was giving teachings on Semnyi Ngalso, the whole valley was filled with rainbow lights.

 

From Adzom Drukpa, he received the empowerment of Gongpa Zangthal, Khandro Yangtig, and Lama Yangtig and the teachings of ngöndro and actual practices of Dorje Nyingpo.

 

At the age of thirty, invited by the second Kathok Situ Chökyi Gyatso (1880–1925), he went to Kathok Monastery. There he was appointed as a teaching assistant (sKyor dPon) in the newly opened shedra, or scripture college. Khenpo Künpal taught Domsum Rabye, Pramāṇvārttika, Tsema Rikter, Yizhin Dzö, Meti-ngak Dzö, and Chöying Dzö, and Khenpo Ngachung reviewed the teachings for the students.

 

When Khenpo Ngachung was thirty-one, Khenpo Künpal had to return to Dzachukha. Khenpo Ngachung took over as the khenpo of the shedra and taught various texts for thirteen years. Every day he gave at least three lectures and sometimes seven. He also gave empowerments, including Nyingthig Yabzhi and Longchen Nyingthig twenty-seven times, Dorje Nyingpo three times, and the text transmission of Dzödun thirteen times. He fully ordained over four thousand monks.

 

While teaching he received Rinchen Terdzö, Düdül, and many other transmissions from Kathok Situ, Jewön Rinpoche, and Khenpo Gyaltsen Özer. From Detso Khenpo Sönam Palden of Golok, he received the teachings of Lamrim Chenmo and many other Geluk teachings. From the second Pema Norbu (1887–1932), he received Namchö, Ratna Lingpa, Changter, Minling Terchö, Jatsön, and Trölthik.

 

Again, he returned to Jonpa Lung and, as advised by Kathok Situ, established a monastery.

 

Then he went to Palyül Monastery to start a shedra. He gave many short teachings, including Bodhicharyāvatāra. Then he went to Tralak Shedrup Ling Monastery in Da Valley at the invitation of Chaktsa Tülku and gave the empowerment of Rinchen Terdzö, combined with many other teachings and transmissions.

 

At Namoche in Upper Nyi Valley he gave the empowerments of Nyingthig Yabzhi and Longchen Nyingthig in a camp and gave teachings of ngöndro and Yeshe Lama.

 

When he was forty-seven (1925), at the behest of Kathok Situ a gathering of a thousand monks who were followers of the Kathok tradition was called at Kathok Monastery. Khenpo and many others gathered, but Kathok Situ was seriously sick and soon passed away. Khenpo gave Rinchen Terdzö empowerments.

 

At the age of forty-nine, he meditated on many of the major sādhanas of Nyingma in retreat and experienced many attainments and visions. Especially during the meditation on Ladrup Thigle Gyachen, he had a vision of Longchen Rabjam and was inspired to write texts on Nyingthig. As a result he wrote his most famous works, Künzang Thukkyi Tikka on Yeshe Lama, Nyen-gyü Chuwö Chüdü on Trekchö, Khandro Thukkyi Tilaka on Thögal, and Nyime Nangwa on both Trekchö and Thögal.

 

At the age of fifty-one, he visited Markham and gave the empowerments of Nyingthig Yabzhi, Longchen Nyingthig, Rinchen Terdzö, and teachings of Ngalso Korsum and Yeshe Lama. Then at Gyalse Monastery he gave many empowerments and teachings and recognized and enthroned the tülku of Gyalse. He also visited the camp of Nyakla Changchup Dorje and ordained sixty-four candidates as novices or monks.

 

At the age of fifty-four (1932), he went to Tralak Monastery in Da Valley to establish a shedra. Soon thereafter, he felt that the second Pema Norbu was dying, and Khenpo visited him in his meditative body and talked about the future. Pema Norbu told him that as his body was worn away due to sickness, he would be dying. Khenpo suggested that he go to Amitābha’s pure land, but Pema Norbu wanted to go to Pema Ö, the pure land of Guru Rinpoche, and come back to spread the Nyingthig teachings. Soon Khenpo received a message that Pema Norbu was in serious condition, and he quickly

set out to reach him. As it was many days distant, by the time he got there Pema Norbu had already died five days earlier.

 

At the request of Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, Khenpo went to Kathok to preside over the enthronement ceremony of the tülku of Kathok Situ.

 

At the age of fifty-five (1933) he made a recitation retreat on the Vajrakīla Yangsang La-me discovered by Ratna Lingpa, had a vision of Yeshe Tsogyal, and received Vajrakīla accomplishments. His autobiography ends at his fifty-fifth year.

 

At the age of sixty-two (1941), he passed away with amazing signs. Tents of light arched over the place, sounds of music were heard, and tremblings of the earth were felt. Shedrup Tenpe Nyima, the tülku of Nyoshül Lungtok, and Gyurme Dorje, the son of Adzom Drukpa, led the cremation ceremony

 

*Above Contents from Masters of Meditation and Miracles: Lives of the Great Buddhist Masters of India and Tibet by Tulku Thondup (1999).